


Destined To Die

by goldenzingy46



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Brother Feels, Brotherly Affection, Brotherly Bonding, Brotherly Love, Complete, James Potter Lives, Lily Evans Potter Lives, Oneshot, PTSD, Poor Reg has ptsd, RAB fest 2020, Regulus Black Lives, Regulus Black Needs a Hug, Sad Ending, Sirius Black Lives, Tragedy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-09
Updated: 2020-04-09
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:28:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23566849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goldenzingy46/pseuds/goldenzingy46
Summary: Regulus Black survives the inferi in the cave. How? He gives Kreacher one very important message.((Previously titled 'He Survives'))
Comments: 25
Kudos: 158
Collections: Regulus Black Fest 2020





	Destined To Die

**Author's Note:**

> It's written slightly different than normal, but I like it. Hope you enjoy! ~Trixie Lestrangle

He told Kreacher to leave him. He really, truly did. He didn't mind; he may only have been eighteen but Voldemort would be mortal, and once mortal he could be defeated.

But there was that split second, as he was being dragged underwater, when he realised that _he didn't want to die._

"Kreacher," he choked. "Kreacher, get my brother."

And then that icy cold water was all around him, and _Merlin_ it was freezing. White, bloodless hands clutching and clawing at his flesh, bubbles of air slipping to the surface, eerie faces of the dead all around him with broken teeth tearing his flesh into ribbons-

 _My name_ , he thought, _is Regulus Arcturus Black, and I'll be damned if I die here._

There were hands, hands everywhere, then one of them was warm. Alive.

Sirius had always been a stronger swimmer than him, and Regulus had always been jealous of it, but right now, whilst those arms encircled him, pulling him up, through that cold, cold water, past those unseeing eyes sunken into rotting faces that swum after, chased after them, because Regulus was their prey, the prey Lord Voldemort - his Master - had promised them with that terrible act of mass murder.

No. The Dark Lord was no longer his Master, as Regulus was fairly certain that trying to kill him classified under defecting, right? Perhaps he should've let himself sink to those murky depths, after all. He remembered when Bellatrix, Cousin Bellatrix, had punished the last defect. It was brutal.

Sirius' arms released him, and he fell onto hard, damp rock. Regulus spent a moment enjoying the sweet air, so different from the merciless pull of the water before he tried to look at his brother.

"Regulus," Sirius whispered, eyes wet. "You are by far the stupidest, bravest, and most wonderful person I know." His hair clutched to the sides of his face scraggily, and Regulus wondered why Sirius had risked his hair to save him. He felt slightly detached, but at least he wasn't dead, right?

"Kreach, I think he's going into shock," Sirius realised. "Can you take us to James? Reg needs medical attention."

There was a sudden feeling like being stuffed through a tube (Apparation, his mind supplied), and it was so like being in that water, that sensation- the realisation that he was going to die, and he panicked. Thrashing wildly, gasping for air and _dear Merlin just please get me out of here--_

When he woke up, it was later in the evening, and Sirius was by his side.

"Sirius," Regulus whispered, because when was the last time his brother had sat at his bedside when he was injured?

"Reg," Sirius replied, giving his hand a squeeze. He rather looked like he would've hugged him, but wasn't sure that Regulus wanted him too.

Regulus saved him from having to make that decision, by leaning across and burrowing into Sirius' arms, breathing in that familiar, brotherly scent that he never knew he was missing.

Sirius obligied, wrapping his arms around him and pulling him into a fierce, tight hug, a wet patch forming on the back of Regulus' shirt making him realise that Sirius was crying.

"I've missed you," he murmured, grey eyes softer than normal. "James just isn't the same as having a blood brother, y'know? And Reg- I didn't realise at first, but I do now, and for that, I'm sorry."

"Siri, it's okay. I've missed you too." Because he had. He'd missed him so hard his bones had ached, but he'd covered it up by bowing and scraping at the feet of an arrogant man, ignoring the part of his brain that hissed, "Blacks never bow," wishing and wishing his brother would come back and regale him with tales of Gryffindor heroics that were so stupid and ridiculous it was amusing, longed for him to step inbetween seven-year-old Regulus and the more dangerous family members.

Regulus missed his brother protecting him, protecting him the way his Newfoundland patronus did against dementors, the way Sirius had against Bellatrix, his mother, Uncle Cygnus and so many more.

Then he remembered.

"The Horcrux- Sirius, the locket, where is it? What happened to it?" His voice was rising, panicked and high-pitched and so not like a Black. _Take that, mother_.

"Relax, Reggie. Relax. James passed it on to Dumbledore, and told him that Kreacher said you'd called it a Horcrux. He said he'd never seen anyone blanch so quickly."

Regulus smiled, allowing himself a mental victory dance at being the one to stress the old man so. Leaning against his brother, he relaxed properly for the first time in four years. "Merlin, I've missed this."

Sirius responded with a bitter smile. "So have I, Reg, so have I."

***

The Black brothers had been living with James and Lily, trying to avoid letting others know tht Regulus was still alive.

Then Sirius came rushing through the door, babbling about a prophecy and James and Lily going into hiding.

Regulus grabbed his shoulder, and tried to calm him. "Woah - slow down. So, you said that the Potters are hiding from Voldemort? Why?"

"Their son, Harry, he might be the one a prophecy was referring to and now Volde- You-Know-Who is after them." came out all in a rush, a wide-eyed Sirius looking like he wanted to cry.

"So why don't we stay with them, and have Pettigrew or Lupin be the Secret Keeper?"

"I haven't seen Remus lately..." Sirius murmured. Perking up, he added, "Nobody would suspect Peter! Thanks Reg! You're the best!"

Letting out a wry grin, Regulus responed with the typical Slytherin, "I know."

***

"Lily! Take Harry and run!"

Sirius lept to his feet, but Regulus grabbed his collar and whispered in his ear, "I'm about to do something stupid."

"Reg- wait!"

Regulus darted down the corridor, and said to James, "You could've at least grabbed your wand."

He turned, watching the astonished Voldemort. "Hello, Voldemort."

"You dare?!" Voldemort hissed, red eyes narrowed.

"I dare. I am not your servant. And if I die tonight, I die saving them." Regulus was ready to die before, and he was ready to die again.

"You will die. You will all die, unless you move. Let me past. Because Lord Voldemort is a merciful lord, and all will be forgiven... Move aside, and one less person will die tonight."

Regulus stood there defiantly. "No."

"Then you will die."

Vaguely aware of his brother appearing, running in to protect him once more, he met the Dark Lord's eyes. "Try me."

A slash of a wand, and a curse, and Regulus fell to the floor like a marionette whose strings had been cut, sacrificing his life for everyone else's.

"NO!" was the terrible, terrible scream of one Sirius Black, crumpling over his brother's corpse.

Voldemort laughed, a high, shrill laugh, and cast the curse once more, and made to step over the other Black brother's body. But it was not so, as the curse bounced off Sirius and struck him instead, leaving nothing more than a dusty black robe and a painful looking scar on Sirius' forehead.

Because Regulus Black lived, only to die.

Regulus Black always wanted to protect his brother the way his brother had always done for him.

**Author's Note:**

> You could... poke your head into my [Discord server](https://discord.gg/37bXdGW)? I don't bite (much)!
> 
> Alternately, you could pop into my mess of a Tumblr [here](https://goldenzingy46.tumblr.com/), or my writing Tumblr [here](https://goldenzingy46butwriteblr.tumblr.com/)!
> 
> Comments and kudos sustain me :)


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